Device for freeing a fouled anchor

ABSTRACT

A device for freeing a fouled stockless anchor in which a cylindrical recovery sleeve has its ends cut slantwise to present elliptical leading and trailing edges. The sleeve is adapted, for example by being longitudinally split, to be received on an anchor line or chain so as to be slidable down the anchor line onto the shank of the anchor which is provided with a frustoconical abutment over which the sleeve can pass. The recovery sleeve is provided towards its leading edge with attachment means for a lifting line and may be provided towards its trailing edge with a clip releasably to hold the lifting line in a position in which it does not interfere with the sliding of the recovery sleeve down the anchor line. Once the sleeve is on the anchor shank, the application of a pull to the lifting line cants the sleeve on the shank so that a pull is transmitted to the shank and the sleeve is prevented from sliding off the shank by engagement of its trailing edge with the abutment. The abutment provided on the anchor shank is suitably formed as two complementary abutment portions which can be secured in position around the shank, with the abutment thus constituted presenting a recess at its face farthest from the end of the shank attached to the anchor line, in which recess the trailing end of the recovery sleeve is positively engageable.

United States Patent 1191 Shute [45] May 7,1974

[ DEVICE FOR FREEENG A FOULED ANCHOR [76] Inventor: Andrew Alfred Thomas Shute, 37

Earl Hall Ave., Southend-on-Sea, England [22] Filed: July 31, 1972 [21] App]. No.: 276,438

[52] US. Cl. 114/206 R, 294/66 R [51] Int. Cl B63b 21/24 [58] Field of Search 294/66 R; 114/206, 221, 114/208; 43/172, 44.97

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,760,810 8/1956 Smith 294/66 R 2,926,452 3/1960 Lewis 114/221 R 2,586,073 2/1952 McKee 45 172 2,816,522 12/1957 Root 114/206 R 2,462,268 2/1949 Kalli 114 221 '2,948,249 8/1960 Gesner 6t 61...; 114/208 R Primary ExaminerDuane A. Reger I Assistant Examiner-Galen L. Barefoot Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Holman & Stern [57] ABSTRACT A device for freeing a fouled stockless anchor in which a cylindrical recovery sleeve has its ends cut slantwise to present elliptical leading and trailing edges. The sleeve is adapted, for example by being longitudinally split, to be received on an anchor line or chain so as to be slidable down the anchor line onto the shankof the anchor which is provided with a frusto-conical abutment over which the sleeve can pass. The recovery sleeve is provided towards its leading edge with attachment means for a lifting line and may be provided towards its trailing edge with a clip releasably to hold the lifting line in a position in which it does not interfere with the sliding of the recovery sleeve down the anchor line. Once the sleeve is on the anchor shank, the application of a pull to the lifting line cants the sleeve on the shank so that a pull is transmitted to the shank and the sleeve is prevented from sliding off the shank by engagement of its trailing edge with the abutment. The abutment provided on the anchor shank is suitably formed as two complementary abutment portions which can be secured in position around the shank, with the abutment thus constituted presenting a recess at its face far thest from the end of the shank attached to the anchor line, in which recess the trailing end of the recovery sleeve is positively engageable.

9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEUMAY 1 m4 SHEET 2 [IF 2 2/ Mum/F;

DEVICE FOR FREEING A FOULEI) ANCHOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a device for use in freeing a stockless anchor which has become fouled.

Where the ground at an anchorage presents underwater obstructions, and particularly at congested anchorages, anchors frequently become fouled, for example, as a result of the fluke of an anchor becoming engaged beneath a chain or cable lying along the ground at the anchorage. In such circumstances, it may easily become impossible to raise the anchor merely by pulling on the anchor chain, and freeing of the anchor then has to be achieved by applying a pull to the anchor in an appropriate direction to disengage the fluke from the obstruction. Various procedures have been used to apply a pull in the necessary direction but none of these has been entirely satisfactory in providing rapid and reliable freeing of the anchor. In the case of a large commercial vessel, the financial loss involved in the delay while a fouled anchor is freed may be such that it is most economical to abandon the anchor altogether. This not only involves the abandonment of a valuable piece of equipment but may also result in the creation of yet another underwater obstacle if it proves impossible to recover the abandoned anchor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a device for freeing a fouled stockless anchor, including a recovery sleeve adapted to be received on the anchor line or chain so as to be slidable down the anchor line onto the shank of the anchor which is provided with an abutment over which the sleeve can pass, such recovery sleeve being provided towards its leading edge with attachment means to which a lifting line or chain can be attached before the sleeve is slid down the anchor line to enable a pull to be applied to the sleeve, the arrangement being such that application of a pull to the sleeve by the lifting line cants the sleeve on the anchor shank so that a pull can be transmitted to the anchor shank and the sleeve is prevented from sliding off the shank by engagement of its trailing end against the abutment on the shank.

In one form of the invention, the abutment provided on the anchor shank is frusto-conical in form and tapers towards the end of the shank attached to the anchor line.

Suitably, a face of the abutment farthest from the end of the shank attached to the anchor line presents a recess in which the trailing end of the recovery sleeve is engageable.

The abutment may be formed as two complementary abutment portions which can be secured in position around the shank of the anchor to form the abutment.

In a preferred embodiment, the recovery sleeve is cy lindrical and may suitably be formed as a longitudinally split cylinder, the halves of which can be secured together around the anchor line.

The ends of the recovery sleeve may be cut slantwise to provide the sleeve with elliptical leading and trailing edges.

Advantageously, a retaining clip. is provided towards the trailing end of the recovery sleeve releasably to hold the lifting line in a position in which it does not in- LII terfere with the sliding of the recovery sleeve down the anchor line.

The attachment means may include a rigid arm pivotally connected to the recovery sleeve towards the leading end thereof and retained by the retaining clip in a position lying along the sleeve.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the invention may be readily understood, embodiments thereof will now be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fouled stockless anchor in process of being freed by a device embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates the anchor of FIG. 1 after it has been freed;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the abutment on the shank of the anchor, taken on the line IIlIII of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a modified recovery sleeve of the device; and

FIG. 5 is an end view of the recovery sleeve of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The exemplary device embodying the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawings is adapted to be used with a stockless anchor 1 having a shank 2 of substantially rectangular cross-section.

An abutment 3 to be secured on the shank of the anchor 1 is formed as a frusto-conical steel body having an axial bore 4 (FIG. 3) of rectangular cross-section for closely receiving the anchor shank 2, such bore commencing at the end of the body of smaller diameter and debouching about half-way along the body into a frusto-conical recess 5 which widens out towards the end of the body of larger diameter. The abutment body is divided along an axial plane into two symmetrical halves 6 and 7 which can be secured-in complementary relationship around the shank 2 by threaded fasteners in fixing bores 8. Each half 6 or 7 of the abutment body 3 is provided with transverse fixing bores 8a intersecting the axial bore 4 for receiving a grub screw 9 adapted to co-operate with the anchor shank to secure the body in position on the shank so that such body tapers towards the end of the shank 2 attached to an anchor line. If desired, each screw 9 may engage in a fixing hole provided in the anchor shank.

A recovery sleeve 10 is formed as a steel cylinder, the ends of which are cut slantwise in opposite directions to present elliptical leading and trailing edges 11 and 12 respectively. To ensure a proper weight distribution, an upper portion of the sleeve 10 is provided with apertures I3 and a lower portion of the sleeve is made thicker than the upper portion. Towards the leading end of the sleeve 10, the top of the sleeve is provided with an attachment hoop l4 defining an eye for the attachment of an end 15 of a lifting line 16. Towards the trailing edge of the sleeve 10 there is provided a retaining clip 17 disposed in alignment with the hoop 14 and serving to hold a leading portion of the lifting line 16 in a position lying along the sleeve 10 so that it does not interfere with the movement of the sleeve when slid down an anchor line 18.

'FIG. 1 shows the anchor 1 fouled as a result of engagement of its flukes l9 beneath a line or cable 20 lying along the ground at an anchorage. To free the fouled anchor 1 which is provided with the frustoconical abutment 3, the recovery sleeve 10 is threaded onto the anchor line 18 so that the attachment hoop 14 of the sleeve is nearest the anchor. The lifting line 16 is either already affixed to the attachment hoop or is affixed thereto at this stage. The sleeve 10 is then allowed to run down the anchor line 18 onto the shank 2 of the anchor where it passes over the abutment 3 on the shank. As shown in FIG. 2, the line 16 is disengaged from the clip 17 and a pull is then applied to the lifting line 16 in an appropriate direction (arrow P in FIG. 2) transverse to the anchor shank 2. This causes the sleeve 10 to cant on the shank 2 so that the lower part of the anchor engages the anchor shank 2 at the leading edge 11 of the sleeve and the upper part of the sleeve engages the shank 2 at the trailing edge 12 so that the pull is transmitted to the anchor shank and the flukes 19 of the anchor are disengaged from cable 20. The sleeve 10 is prevented from sliding back over the abutment 3, even if the pull is applied away from the fluke end of the anchor 1 at an acute angle relative to the shank 2, since thetrailing edge 12 of the upper portion of the sleeve 10 which is pulled against the shank enters the frusto-conical recess of the abutment 3 thereby precluding further movement of the sleeve away from the fluke end of the anchor.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a modified recovery sleeve 21 for a device embodying the invention. As in the case of the recovery sleeve 10, the sleeve 21 is formed'as a cylinder, the ends of which are cut slantwise in opposite directions to present elliptical leading and trailing edges 22 and 23 respectively. The sleeve 21 is divided along an axial plane passing through the minor axes of the elliptical end edges into an upper major part 24 and a lower minor part 25 which is thicker than major part 24, with such parts being clamped together at their adjacent longitudinal edges by fasteners 26 which are passed through apertures in fixing flanges or lugs 27 presented by the two sleeve parts 24 and 25 adjacent their longitudinal edges. Towards the leading edge 22 of the sleeve 21, the major part 24 is provided with a pivotal mounting 28 for one end of a rigid arm 29 formed at its other end with an eye 30 for attachment of a lifting line. The arm 29 is releasably retained, by a clip 31 disposed towards the trailing end of sleeve 21, in a position lying along the sleeve.

The sizes of the recovery sleeve or 21, the size of the abutment 3 and the angle at which the leading edge of therecovery sleeve should be cut is governed by the type of anchor with which the device embodying the invention is to be used.

I What is claimed is:

V 1. A device for freeing a fouled stockless anchor hav-' ing a shank provided at one end with a plurality of flukes and fixing means at the other end for securing the shank to an anchor line, an abutment fixed on the shank intermediate the ends thereof, said abutment having a first end adjacent the fixing means and a second end towards said one end, a recovery sleeve having a leading end and a trailing end, the recovery sleeve being receivable about the anchor line for sliding down the anchor line onto the shank over the abutment to a position between the abutment and the one end of the shank and said trailing end being engageable with said second end, attachment means provided adjacent the leading end of the recovery sleeve, and a lifting line for connection to the attachment means before the sleeve is slid down the anchor line, whereby the application of a pull to the recovery sleeve by the lifting line after the recovery sleeve has been slid in said position on the shank cants the sleeve so that a pull can be transmitted to the shank and the sleeve is prevented from sliding off the shank by engagement of its trailing end against the abutment on the shank.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the abutment provided on the anchor shank is frusto-conical in form and tapers towards the end of the shank secured to the anchor line.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein said second end of the abutment presents a recess in which the trailing end of the recovery sleeve is engageale. a recess in which the trailing end of the recovery sleeve is engageable.

.4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the abutment is formed as two complementary abutment portions which can be secured in position around the shank of the anchor to form the abutment.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the recovery sleeve is cylindrical.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the recovery sleeve is formed as a longitudinally split cylinder the halves of which can be secured together around the anchor line.

7. The device according to claim 5, wherein the ends of the cylindrical recovery sleeve are cut slantwise to provide the sleeve with elliptical leading and trailing edges.

8. The device according to claim' 1, wherein a retaining clip is provided adjacent the trailing end of the recovery sleeve releasably to hold the lifting line in a position in which it does not interfere with the sliding of the recovery sleeve down the anchor line. y

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the attachment means includes a rigid arm pivotally connected to the recovery sleeve adjacent the leading and thereof and retained by the retaining clip in a position lying along the sleeve. 

1. A device for freeing a fouled stockless anchor having a shank provided at one end with a plurality of flukes and fixing means at the other end for securing the shank to an anchor line, an abutment fixed on the shank intermediate the ends thereof, said abutment having a first end adjacent the fixing means and a second end towards said one end, a recovery sleeve having a leading end and a trailing end, the recovery sleeve being receivable about the anchor line for sliding down the anchor line onto the shank over the abutment to a position between the abutment and the one end of the shank and said trailing end being engageable with said second end, attachment means provided adjacent the leading end of the recovery sleeve, and a lifting line for connection to the attachment means before the sleeve is slid down the anchor line, whereby the application of a pull to the recovery sleeve by the lifting line after the recovery sleeve has been slid in said position on the shank cants the sleEve so that a pull can be transmitted to the shank and the sleeve is prevented from sliding off the shank by engagement of its trailing end against the abutment on the shank.
 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the abutment provided on the anchor shank is frusto-conical in form and tapers towards the end of the shank secured to the anchor line.
 3. The device according to claim 1, wherein said second end of the abutment presents a recess in which the trailing end of the recovery sleeve is engageale. a recess in which the trailing end of the recovery sleeve is engageable.
 4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the abutment is formed as two complementary abutment portions which can be secured in position around the shank of the anchor to form the abutment.
 5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the recovery sleeve is cylindrical.
 6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the recovery sleeve is formed as a longitudinally split cylinder the halves of which can be secured together around the anchor line.
 7. The device according to claim 5, wherein the ends of the cylindrical recovery sleeve are cut slantwise to provide the sleeve with elliptical leading and trailing edges.
 8. The device according to claim 1, wherein a retaining clip is provided adjacent the trailing end of the recovery sleeve releasably to hold the lifting line in a position in which it does not interfere with the sliding of the recovery sleeve down the anchor line.
 9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the attachment means includes a rigid arm pivotally connected to the recovery sleeve adjacent the leading and thereof and retained by the retaining clip in a position lying along the sleeve. 